ABSTRACT

Originally published in 1961. Michael Polanyi was a polymath who influenced economics and the sciences as well as philosophy. His wide-ranging research in physical science is as well-known as his work on freedom and knowledge and his arguments against positivism and reductionism. This collection of essays written for him touches on all aspects of his influence but rotates around his published lectures Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. The contributors address four areas – The Scientist as Knower, Historical Perspectives, The Knowledge of Society and the Knowledge of Living Things.

part |2 pages

PRELUDE

chapter 1|10 pages

The Hungary of Michael Polanyi

part |2 pages

PART ONE: THE SCIENTIST AS KNOWER

part |2 pages

PART TWO: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

part |2 pages

PART THREE: THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIETY

chapter 10|18 pages

Max Weber and Michael Polanyi

chapter 11|14 pages

Centre and Periphery

chapter 12|12 pages

The Republic of Science

chapter 13|12 pages

Machiavelli and the Profanation of Politics

chapter 14|16 pages

Applied Economics: The Application of What?

chapter 16|10 pages

Law-Courts and Dreams

part |2 pages

PART FOUR: THE KNOWLEDGE OF LIVING THINGS

chapter 17|16 pages

The Logic of Biology

chapter 18|26 pages

Origin of Life on Earth and Elsewhere